Six Times Han Solo Wasn't There - And the One Time He Was
by Zandris Hugal
Summary: Being the son of a dashing, reformed smuggler and a daring princess might look good on paper. Force, it might even grant massive publicity. But it ultimately means nothing if said parents prioritize their jobs more than you.
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Disney does**

 **Chapter 1: Dreams**

* * *

 _It was cold. Ben looked around with a startle, then settled with a resigned sigh that should not be coming from a seven-year old boy._

 _He was on the ice planet again. In a cold, dark cavern filled with icicles. And the dark man was about to come again. The dark man he now knew to be Darth Vader._

 _Sure enough, the same old respirator breath resounded through the cavern. This particular dream happened to him once a month ever since he was six. And at the dates he would least expect. Sometimes early, sometimes at the tail end. But every month._

 _"You must prepare for your destiny," boomed the dark man._

 _"Leave me alone!" cried Ben. He was so sick, so tired. He could feel anger welling up inside him. "Go away with your stupid empire! You're dead, your empire is dead! DEAD DEAD DEAD._

 _"Such defiance, like your mother," responded the dark man. "That same, fiery passion in your heart that you don't quite know what to do with. Fitting."_

 _"Go away," spat Ben._

 _"Perhaps I should leave you to your nanny," cut Vader. "You are a young child after all, one whom adults have no time for."_

 _This, this is the part of Vader's speech that would truly hurt._

 _"Your mother Leia would much prefer to nurse her ideological child, the Republic. No time for her biological child I suppose," chided Darth Vader._

 _"But…," protested Ben._

 _"Dear child. The only time she was with you for even five months on end was after that one time you were kidnapped. Yet even your mother seems to have more time for you than your…"_

 _"DON'T," yelled Ben. His anger was rising, but so was his hurt. These words, he had heard them before. But that didn't make them hurt any less._

 _"Your father," finished the dark specter. "He isn't even_ part _of the New Republic. What is he … a trading captain now. His trading enterprise came after you were born, but it would seem he has more time for that than for you."_

 _"STOP!" cried Ben. It hurt soo bad. Like glass in his heart._

Such descriptive language, Ben mused, observing how he described things. Guess it came with being the daughter of a Sen…

 _Who did not care for him. Anger coursed through Ben like an electric shock. He started to impose his will on this cavern._

 _His will to NOT be in the dream. It was force-induced, that much Ben could tell. But a specter couldn't have much hold over the physical realm._

 _That is why the past three times he had been able to break out. But he needed anger to do it. And the anger only came after the dark specter made those comments about his parents._

 _And so, Ben pushed mentally. It started to work. The cavern becoming blurry, Vader's mechanical rasping more distant._

 _Ben could swear he heard an organic gasp in the distance: one which didn't come from him._

 _But this time, his escape was not to be._

" _Enough," boomed Vader._

 _Darkness surrounded Ben like a torrent of icicles. His head, ohh his head hurt like he was under the twin suns of Tatooine!_

" _Since at the present, no one cares for you, we must start talking about your future," declared Vader._

This was new, thought Ben _._

" _So, what shall our little boy be in the future. A medic? A senatorial assistant," mocked Vader._

" _A pilot," declared Ben. "I will explore the far reaches of the galaxy. I won't be confined nowhere!"_

 _Anywhere such as the current Republic capital, Chandrila._

" _Humph, a mere pilot," snorted Vader, if he could snort. "So the son of the famed smuggler-turned-General and the last princess of Alderaan, nephew of the galaxy's Jedi Master, shall become a pilot. A dog for the New Republic. Even a Jedi would have more control over their fate."_

" _A dog," exclaimed Ben. "A DOG."_

 _A fresh wave of anger buckled through Ben. Again, Ben channeled this anger outward, intent to banish Darth Vader from his mind._

 _This time, he succeeded._

* * *

Ben sat up in his bed with a start. His face felt a bit wet. Tears.

 _It's never easy to be told that you are unloved. Even if it's true,_ " Ben thought bitterly.

Ben quickly looked over at the clock. Four-hundred hours.

Suddenly, Tee-Dee-Three floated towards him. Tee-Dee-Three was an old magnaguard droid which Ben had installed with butler programing. He kinda performed a sort of dual purpose.

"Master Ben. Your father is back home."

After about half an hour, his father made it to his room. This was the first time his father ever managed to come on a night his nightmares occurred.

"Hey kiddo," smiled Han. Then Han noticed Ben's frown. "You okay kiddo? Sleeping fine."

"I'm not _kiddo_ ," pouted Ben. "You are never here! You always of at work! The rest of the galaxy always gets to have you, but not your own _kriffing_ son.

"Hey," warned Han, "Language."

"You know what! Just go away!" yelled Ben.

Han looked in his son's brown eyes. So much fire in them, like Leia. But fiery like when Leia talked about the empire, or her birth father Vader.

 _But Ben so young too. Should anyone so young be this angry?,_ question Han.

But Han decided to leave his son to his devices. Surely, Han reasoned, he would be better when the sun actually rose.

Two or three pieces of metal from Ben's workspace at the far side of the room slammed into the doors after they whooshed shut. But Ben didn't notice. He was so mad, so lonely, so sad.

There went his father again. Always had time for other things. But of course, dear daddy would never ask _what_ was wrong.

Sobs started to come. Ben let them. And continued to sob as he fell back to sleep.

 _Why is daddy never there for me?_

* * *

 **In this story, I will be going by Canon as of July 3, 2016. It would seem that Ben Solo turns dark at about 24 (or, at least after Bloodline, which is set when he is 23). This is my head cannon for why Ben Solo, a child of privilege, would turn into the wicked Kylo Ren.**


	2. Chapter 2: Darkness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. Disney does**

 **Get ready for a damn long chapter! Cause this is really long**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: Darkness_**

 _15 Years After the Battle of Endor_

* * *

Wind whipped on Ben's face as he rounded the a sharp turn, completing the fourth lap. He was now in second place in a high speed speeder bike race, rip with obstacles and danger. Ten of the thirty racers had dashed their dreams and bikes against these obstacles.

Being an underground race, both figuratively and literally, the raceway was dark. The lighting came from dim yellow lampposts at the sides of the race track. With all of the obstacles and hazards, as well as over a dozen other competitors, racers tended to feel a haze of claustrophobia.

"Sithspit," Ben cursed, ducking at the last moment from a volley of stun bolts fired from a cannon. He swerved his thin, lithe Imperial class speeder bike to avoid the rotating pop up cannon.

In a masterful stroke, he swerved to the far right of the track, where a pillar just to his left provided cover from the fire. He then swerved to the far left as fire grenades dropped from the ceiling above his position.

Ben's smirk turned to a full blown smile as he continued to dodge all the hazards. He _loved_ the danger. The pulsating adrenaline within his veins fed him, giving him contentment and fire within his chest.

What other sentients called fear, Ben called a bloodrush.

With an obstacle or hazard popping up every few seconds, Ben had already dodged thirty after two minutes. At his pace, his previous four laps had taken him roughly eight minutes.

Indeed, as Kuat was a core world, and the central hub of mechanics in the galaxy, the underground races could only be performed by the finest. The quickest. The boldest. And the most persistent.

Accelerating into the hull of a half finished Star Destroyer, Ben once again applauded himself for always sticking with the Imperial speeder bike he had found when he was eight. In most racing circles, swoop bikes were preferred of the speeder bikes.

Swoop bikes were larger, granting them more stability and a more powerful repulsor. Ben had had to retrofit his laser cannon to produce extra speed, and even then was only _slightly_ faster than a swoop bike.

But a swoop bikes had no place in races like these, which required mobility and maneuverability. But some persistent racers still tried.

Like the Weequay Bi'shek, who was _right_ behind Ben.

Weequays were in every way a superior species to humans when it came to bike races. Tougher and with more spatial awareness, Bi'shek had been a constant rival to Ben throughout the races.

Not to mention that Bi'shek had been racing for longer than Ben's fourteen years of life.

Just as Ben exited the Star Destroyer hull, a tingle rushed down his spine. Trusting his senses, Ben swerved abruptly to the left, and nearly into a lamppost.

In the vector he was traveling just an instant before, a sizable shard of metal had been flung. No doubt by Bi'shek.

Anger rushed through Ben, as always. Yes, people were always unfair in these races, but Ben was disgusted when racers murdered competitors to get ahead.

A cruel smirk lighted on Ben's face. _But then again, crude tactics and impulses are no match for the_ Force!

In the straightway that noted the halfway mark of the final lap, Bi'shek's swoop bike accelerated. Accelerated right next to Ben's.

Bi'shek attempted to bash Ben's smaller speeder bike away, but was obviously confounded as to how to retained perfect balance.

 _Guess telekinesis ain't in none of your talents,_ Ben thought ruefully.

Bi'shek, annoyed, flipped a switch. Sharp weapons instantly protruded from the sides of Bi'shek's swoop bike.

Knowing this would slow the Weequay down ever so slightly, Ben attempted to veer away on the next curve and ahead to overtake the Togrutan in first place. But Bi'shek managed to lock on Ben's speeder with another one of his gadgets.

" _Huttspawn_!" Ben exclaimed. Now _this_ was a really tricky situation. He could even die.

But that always pushed him, when nothing else did. Ben would always live. He could not die young, not when he was only known as Han and Leia's son. Not before he had made his mark on the Galaxy.

And so, with this, Ben mentally shoved Bi'shek's speeder away. At the same time, he destroyed Bi'shek' attachment device with a superhuman stomp.

Bi'shek cursed, but still was neck and neck with Ben. Ben, without any real training, was not too proficient in the art of telekinesis.

Which unfortunately was why Bi'shek hadn't been _flattened_ against a wall, his guts strewn across...

 _Focus_ , Ben thought. As they approached one of the last curves of the race, Ben reached deep within himself. And summoned a new trick he learned when upgrading his speeder.

Although he already augmented his senses and awareness by reflex, he took in his surroundings to a deeper level.

Felt the rage and frustration of Bi'shek.

The triumph in the Togrutan Opull, who thought she'd come in first, despite being only meters in front of Ben and Bi'shek.

And the hum of the machinery. The cogs, and the electricity.

Oh, the electricity.

Just as Opull, Ben, and Bi'shek reached the final straightaway, Ben magnified the electric pulse in Bi'shek's swoop bike.

Ben laughed as his Weequay rival lost control of his swoop, and swerved out of the as the Weequay's swoop uncontrollably burst ahead.

 _Right into Opull's speeder bike._

Ben dodged the explosion. After merely one or two seconds, he crossed the finish line!

* * *

 _"_ My boy Ben," hollered Rollan as they high-fived and bro hugged.

A year older than Ben, Rollan was a Zabrak and Ben's best friend. And partner in crime.

Then Ben's girlfriend Allena grabbed him and kissed him.

"Great job as always flyboy," she complimented, her smile as bright as her honey colored hair.

"And now," came the surround sound voice of the announcer, "All the results are in."

"In these semi-finals, thirty races competed. Only the top 10 times advance. The top four of which get _heaps_ of credits for their spectacular shows."

The announcer continued on, talking about the fun of the races, and announcing the names of the racers starting from the tenth place.

"Now," said the announcer, "As the bets show, many thought the longtime racer Bi'shek would win these grand semifinals. Other thought the equally experienced Togrutan Opull would."

"But they both crashed _mere meters_ from the finish line, giving the first place and grand prize of 50,000 credits to none other than Arcann Nightstinger!"

"Only sixteen, and new to the track, he had quickly become a fan favorite. Will the winner receive his price!"

Ben strode foward, confident and proud to the announcer's booth. There, she held a prize.

A red Twi'lek, the announcer was one of the sexiest girls Ben had seen. Sensing this, she slurred.

"This suitcase doesn't hold the only winnings you can earn flyboy."

Oh, he wanted to. His way with the ladies was one of the positive traits he had picked from his father.

But Ben was also loyal, to his girlfriend. Who also had snuck into these illegal races just for _him_.

"I'm taken," replied Ben after a ten second silence. "I'll just take the suitcase and go"

After pushing through the crowd, getting fan love from hundreds of spectators, and threats from several dozen bitter racers, Ben finally made it back to his friends.

"I guess all this illegal stuff is worth it after all, _Arcann_ ," Allena jabbed.

"Hey, it's the highlight of this month's field trip," skilled Rollan.

The trio attended Coruscant Prime Academy; the top school in the galaxy. While Coruscant was no longer the center of galactic politics, it still was the center of just about everything else.

The three leapt on an airspeeder and piloted their way back to their dorms. Being the wee hours of the morning, it would be best to catch a wink of sleep before the sun rose

After parking in the garage, they got out. Within five minutes they'd be back in their cozy, boring apartments.

Ben suddenly straightened and swiveled his head, like a Trandoshan smelling a nearby prey.

Or _predator_

"What is it?" Allena asked, her violet eyes touched with concern.

" _Just little ol me_ ," scratched a raspy voice.

Emerging from the shadows, a tall lithe female stalked toward them. Wrapped in a black cloak, adorned with a black mask, and with footsteps softer than a cat, the three adolescents knew they were in big trouble.

"RUN!" Rollan shouted.

It was a futile attempt though, as the masked woman quickly caught up with them.

Allena tried to make a stand, her eyes flashing with purple fire. However, the assassin knocked her out with a casually blow to the face.

Rollan was next. A Zabrak, and a lover of martial arts, he stood a better chance. He unleashed some of the quickest blows Ben had ever seen from a fellow teen against the assassin. The assassin dodged every single one of them.

Although Ben couldn't see her face, he _felt_ an air of pride and disdain radiating from her.

As well as a frosty _chill_.

"Back of little boy," she said. With a superhumanoid backhand, she sent Rollan flying several meters into a nearby airspeeder. He slumped unconscious to the floor.

"Guess that leaves you and me, _Arcann_. Or should I say _Ben Solo_.

Ben gasped. She had been tracking him the whole night!

She chuckled. "You think I've given you attention? Wait for what my master has in store for you!"

Ben leapt at her, grabbing a metal pipe and unleashing a raw flurry of strikes Rollan had shown him over the years. She dodged each one.

"And they say the galaxy's sole _Jedi Master_ is your uncle," she challenged.

Time to draw deeper. Ben looked inside for the rush of emotions he had felt that day.

The adrenaline and danger of racing.

The _thrill_ of finally bringing down his hated rival Bi'shek.

The wish for true acknowledgment from his parents, instead of just shipping him to year-round boarding school.

And _anger_. At seeing this _schutta_ knock around his two best friends like that.

And so Ben went again, faster and deadlier. The assassin curled and dodged, but finally was forced to lose a foot of ground.

And block two strikes with her gauntleted forearms.

"Congratulations. It's been quite a while since a civilian made me _block_ a strike. But no more," she commanded.

She waved a hand towards him. _She was attempting to make him fall asleep,_ Ben realized.

Ben fought it off for a few seconds. Or was it an hour? But finally, he felt so exhausted.

 _SLEEP!_ He heard in his brain. And again point, he could no longer resist…

* * *

 _3 days later_

Ben woke up with a start, finding himself shackled to a highly tilted metal table. He squirmed, but to no avail.

"Cease the squirming," commanded the assassin who had captured him earlier.

"Oh yeah," bit back Ben. "Try being shackled in some dark cold room with even colder people."

Though still wrapped in a dark cloak, she no longer wore a mask. Her face was beautiful, with shoulder length rich brown hair and ornate purple tattoos. Yet, her face seemed to be carved of marble, and her sulfurous yellow eyes held cruelty and superiority.

Basically, she turned out to be what Ben had vibes earlier.

"What _did_ you do to _my friends_ ," he harshly demanded.

The assassin chuckled. "Oh, they're quite fine. You'll see them again, sooner than you think," she smirked. "But for now, be a good boy."

"For who?" Ben asked.

The answer walked in. He, like his apprentice, was dressed in black attire. His inner clothing was made of black leather. His cloak was tight fitting, but covered his body height wise from his hooded head down to his heels. Over his cloak on his forearms he wore gauntlets made of black polished durasteel alloy.

As the dark man approached him, Ben was nearly suffocated by the ice of this man. Whereas the assassin vibed like a dark fog, the master radiated like a deep freeze of _awful_.

"I see you are acquainted with my apprentice Alora(*.1)," noted the dark man, his voice cold and flat, like the surface of a glacier.

"The schutta has a name?" Ben scoffed.

"Quiet boy," she hissed, before going back to her formal attention posture for her master.

"Do you have a name," Ben drawled. "Or should I just call you glacier. Cause you've got just amount life as Hoth!"

The dark man chortled in amusement. The features that were visible from under the hood revealed he was human. His skin was somewhat pale and scarred, though it could have been of a darker shade once.

His sulfurous yellow eyes were a little disconcerting though…

"Such energy and defiance," drawled the dark man. "Well, I've taken it upon myself to give you an offer."

"Oh, like letting me and my friends go?" challenged Ben.

"Not quite," admitted the dark man.

"You know, I don't appreciate being _shackled_ to a metal table! Nor do I like the state of my friends being unknown to me. We were just minding our business when _you_ decided to ruin to be a Grinch. In case you don't know, my parents are powerful within the Republic, and have powerful allies. They will _crush_ your pathetic little man cave. And if they don't, so help me gods, I will _shred this place apart myself_!" Ben threatened, shouting the final sentence.

"Parents as in Captain Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, hmm?" responded the man. "Well, I do not know if your dear mother can amass a rescue party with that worthless Republic of hers. The two factions within that convoluted Senate would much prefer to draft conspiracy theories than do anything useful.

"And last I heard," the man added, "Han Solo and Lando Calrissian involved themselves in the _Black Sun - Guavian War_. So I'm quite afraid we haven't much to fear."

"If you know who my parents are, then you know my uncle is Luke Skywalker!" retorted Ben. "And he will finish you two Sith pretenders off with less effort than it takes to slice butter."

"Your bravado is amusing, if not a bit exasperating. Alora, if you would please?" commanded the dark man.

Alora stalked forward and touched a button of Ben's table. Or more _accurately_ , torture instrument.

"ARRGHH!" cried Ben as electricity rushed through his body.

"You see," explained the dark man, "We don't want to keep you shackled. You would just be baggage. We want you to _free yourself_!"

Pain is the root of light. From pain is birthed insight. From insight is birthed strength. From strength is birthed power. From power is birthed worthiness. With worthiness comes the Force," the dark man chanted, as Ben's world was consumed in an inferno of pain

* * *

 _Seven Days Later_

An aching Ben woke up again on his tilted

"bed" from a tortuous sleep.

He had _not_ been able to break free of the restraints on his wrists and ankles yet. They seemed to be saturated with opposing Force energies.

That, and pain clouded over his mind like a poisonous haze. It seemed as if he had been here for a month! Though he knew it had been seven days, courtesy of the telepathic reach of his uncle.

His uncle assured him that rescue would come soon. It was just somewhat hard for him to accurately pinpoint where Ben was, considering how the dark side blanketed the dark lord's palace.

On a brighter note, Luke would ease his discomfort and somewhat heal his body whenever he reached out to him. Ben knew his uncle was very powerful, but how he could do _that_ was quite frankly beyond him. But Ben would take any help that he could get.

He just wished his own attempts to free himself would be just as successful.

At that moment, the door swished open to reveal two cloaked figures. These two looked quite different than Alora.

"Hello boy," came a sultry female voice. "Here to join us in darkness.

The male voice of the other figure growled.

"Oh quiet you," came back the female voice. "We should show our guest the proper respects!"

She started off by removing her hood, revealing a red skinned Twi'lek. "Names Isaru."

"Nine Corellian Hells, you _were_ the announcer at the races!" cried Ben!

"I was in position just in case Alora didn't manage to catch you. She did, though, as expected."

"Expected?" asked Ben.

The male took off his hood, revealing a green skinned Duros. "She _is_ our masters Favorite."

"Gholan here is just a bit jealous," amended Isaru. "But time for business. If you would please."

Gholan opened the doors and reached out. Inside came to hover carts. Gholan then rotated the carts to an upward tilted position.

Revealing Rollan and Allena!

"Don't you dare hurt them!" cried Ben.

Rollan gasped. "Dude, you look like hell!"

Allena looked around. "Whichever of you hurt my boyfriend is going to answer to _me_."

Sometimes Allena could be nice. Sometimes, she could look like " _I'm going to tear your limbs apart and feed them to Anoobas_.

Gholan snarled and ignited one end of his long hilted lightsaber. The long hilt - of course - indicating it was a double blade.

The lightsaber's deep rumbling sound was a great match of Gholan's basal personality.

"It's been a week and you haven't drawn deep enough to remove those silly restraints. So I'm going to help you. Fail in five minutes and I'm going to test the Zabrak's supposed durability," threatened Ghonal.

"I SWEAR, if you hurt him, you will pay!" shouted Ben. His shackles were rumbling.

"Good, channel that anger. Here, I'll help you," Ghonal offered.

With that, the Duros dark apprentice cut off Rollan's left arm.

Two piercing cries resounded throughout the dark, spacious room.

Rollan's cry of pain -

And Ben's cry of rage. One of the chandeliers splintered to pieces. The floor beneath Ben cracked a bit. And the shackles came flying off.

"You shall pay!" cried Ben. He had _never_ felt so much fury in his life. The rage Darth Vader's specter induced on him during his monthly visits paled in comparison. Those rage moments felt like a geyser.

This felt like he had transformed into a raging Wampa.

With his nigh uncontrollable strength, Ben reached out at the Duros. The Duros attempted to defend himself. The Duros surrounded himself with what was like an energy barrier.

But Ben's rage only multiplied now that the offender seemed to escape punishment. He shattered the barrier like one may shatter glass, telekinetically seized his throat, and hurled him into a wall at the far side of the room.

The All Powerful Wampa rage left though, and Ben felt like he shrunk back into a human.

"YES! That's it boy," applauded Isaru. "Focus on your need to make him pay, and you'll surpass him in no time.

Ghonal got to his feet. After sending what would be to any other person a withering glare in Isaru's direction, Ghonal dashed in front of Ben. He had covered seventy meters in a _mere_ second.

Ghonal sensed Ben's wonder. "You want to see the Force," he spat with a rage filled voice. "Let me _show_ you!"

Suddenly, Ben's throat felt like a Wampa's hand was squeezing his throat. Suddenly, he was thrown back against the somewhat cracked table that had been his home for several days.

A spike of flames then poked into his mind. _Little boy_ , Ghonal's voice said in his head.

Torrents of flame erupted in Ben's mind. Ghonal was just rawly expressing his power and hatred in his mind. Had Ben not been force sensitive, his mind would have burned away.

But the Force was with him. Remembering his loyalty to his friends, and how Luke's presence felt in his mind, Ben adopted a calm about him. He imagined a cool barrier of water against Ghonal's red flames. Then, he pushed, just like he did against Vader's specter recently. With light and love, not dark and hatred.

Ghonal's Force presence retreated to his own body, but Ben's advanced. Advanced into the confused Duros's surface thoughts.

Thoughts of fear and dread

Ghonal then slammed Ben out of his mind. Both Force users looked at each other. Red sclera against brown irises.

"See you tomorrow boy," Ghonal growled, before storming out.

Isaru looked back at him. "He's _afraid_. The master likes the idea of three apprentices, and he wants you," Isaru said before leaving with footsteps as soft as a cat.

With her, Isaru took the hover tables with his friends. It seemed as though Rollan had fallen unconscious from pain, and Allena had a sharp anger in her eyes.

"Oh," Isaru's voice came from the hallway. "Feel free to shower."

Ben was left to his turbulent thoughts. Perhaps his father would blast this palace to ruin. But Ben feared Han would be more concerned by the little _gang war_ he and Lando had.

Ben knew Han would have liked it more if he didn't have the Force. And since the Force was such an integral part of him, that _hurt_.

But hey, Isaru just said it was okay for him to look for a shower, so that meant he could leave this room.

* * *

After his long shower - a water one, no less -Brn felt a soft call in his mind. The dark man was summoning him to the throne room.

It certainly beat the torture his apprentices could inflict.

Ben followed the signal in his mind, and after ten minutes of waking made it to the throne room. There, the dark man sat upon a dark black throne, and Alora stood beside him. The throne room was the epicenter of all dark power in the palace, which was enough to corrupt the whole planet. Ben shuddered to think of the horrors that had happened here.

"Come," came the silky voice of the dark man. There was an chest in front of his foots fans.

"I need your help in opening this." The box radiated dark power. Ben also for a second thought he heard harsh respirator breathing.

"This is chest from Darth Vader himself (*.2) I believe that if the two of us drop our blood on it and focus, it's secrets will be ours."

"Why would I help you!" snarled Ben. " _That_ apprentice," pointing at Alora, "tortured me for a week! And your Duros cut off my best friends arm. Why do you think that I want to do anything but strangle you with my bare hands!"

The dark man laughed, and the throne room seemed to get a shade darker from its already dim state. The air also seemed to get even colder.

"If you want to destroy me, then learn the secrets hidden away in this box. Darth Vader was one of the greatest Sith Lords in history. With the knowledge in _here_ , I assure you that you will surpass Ghonal soon enough," the dark man promised.

"Do you know about bloodlines boy?" the dark man asked.

"What of them," Ben challenged.

"An individual can be born with a connection to the Force in one of two ways. In the first, the Force merely chooses to present itself in random people. But the second is bloodlines. For the child of a Force-sensitive is _always_ Force sensitive."

The said child will carry an ability with the Force similar to that of his parents. Now in your case, Luke is your uncle, and one of the most powerful practitioners of the Force to ever exist. Even some of the great masters pale in comparison to him. Your mother was his twin," the dark man continued

"So you're saying I have a similar potential to my uncle Luke," Ben finished in wonder. His uncle Luke's power was like a system star. He couldn't believe he could be like him.

"If you accept _my_ teachings, you can become _better_ than him. You can become the most powerful practitioner of the Force in galactic history in fact! Your bloodline is _that_ strong!"

Ben considered it. Then his uncle's voice calm voice sounded in his mind.

" _Don't do it,"_ he pleaded. " _Rescue is imminent! But if you let the darkness in, it will corrupt you and use you for a very long time. Just as it ensnared the man in front of you."_

The dark man snarled, sensing the Jedi's telepathic presence in his room.

" _AWAY!"_ the dark man's voice shouted in Ben's mind.

Ben fell to the ground, and no longer sensed his uncle's presence. But he knew one thing.

His uncle was near. Far closer than he had been these past days.

"Alora, escort Ben here to bed chamber. Have Isaru and Ghonal guard it. A confrontation with the Jedi approaches."

Alora led Ben throughout the halls to an exquisite bed chamber. It was certainly fit for a prince, and had far more luxury than Ben was accustomed to.

Red, however, was a color quite prominent in the cold scheme. The room was also blanketed with dark side energies, but not as thickly as the torture room and throne room had been.

 _Might as well get comfy_ , Ben thought. _And think of how I will punish these goons once Uncle Luke comes_

* * *

Impressions of calm reassuring woke Ben up. Ben shot up in his bed, as if to look for what he had sensed.

 _I am coming for you son_ ," came a voice. The voice of his mother.

Ben could almost smell her warm presence. His mother had a strong telepathic reach, but it didn't span light years like Luke's did.

She and his uncle were _very_ close indeed.

Ben started to look around for weapons, but the room was surprisingly bear. Ben also felt the presences of Ghonal and Isaru outside.

After an hour, they left for some reason.

Then Ben felt her. His mother was right outside.

The doors swished open, and the two embraced each other in a tearful reunion.

"My child, my child," she repeated in awe. She looked up at him. "How much did they hurt you."

"I'm fine," Ben said. "I am your son after all."

Their smiling brown eyes looked at each other. Then Leia smirked.

"Let's show them what that means, shall we?" she offered.

The two ran out of the room. In color scheme, their colors were quite opposite. Leia was in a white color combat suit, where as Ben was in a black colored jumpsuit. But their complexion and eyes were nearly identical.

The two turned to the left in the hallway and started to run down it. Then Leia tackled Ben.

A volley of blasted bolts passed over them. All set to kill!

Leia took out her DL-44 blaster pistol in a two handed grip and fired at the rushing guards. These guards, though trained, where no match for her. Ten shots later, and all ten fell to the ground. Dead

Ben knew his mother was good, but hadn't ever seen her abilities outside the target zone. It was even more impressive in live combat.

"If that's the best this palace has to offer, then we don't have much to worry about," stated Ben.

Then two presences, like pillars of flames, appeared in front of them.

"Forgotten us so soon?" Isaru asked.

"We sensed your arrival woman. And now, you have fallen into our trap!" exclaimed Ghonal.

Cutting off escape was a group of 20 more guards behind them. They were surrounded.

But Leia still was confident. "No, Dark Jedi. You have fallen into _ours_!"

From a vent above them, two Jedi apprentices dropped out. Both were humans of about eighteen.

Leia nodded at them. "Just in time, Jaden and Rosh."

Jaden, who was about six feet with tan skin, brown hair, and gray eyes, ignited a green lightsaber in his right hand and a purple shorts in his left. Rosh, dark skinned and dark eyes, ignited a brilliant blue lightsaber.

Jaden rushed for Isaru, who ignited two red lightsabers, while Rosh rushed for Ghonal.

The fight between Jaden and Isaru was far too fast for Ben to follow. It was a dance of speed, graceful yet deadly all the same.

Still very fast, but somewhat slower was the one between Rosh and Ghonal. Whereas, Jaden and Isaru used lightsabers much light katanas, Rosh and Ghonal fought as if with broadswords. An athletic dance and a power duel were side by side, perfect compliments.

There were still the matter of twenty guards. Leia tossed Ben her pistol.

"What will you use," Ben asked

Leia concentrated and extended her hand, after a few seconds, an E-11 blaster rifle shot to her hand.

With that, the 19 guards still with weapons opened fire. The corridor was covered with red.

Both Leia and Ben leapt to opposite sides of the hallway, taking cover behind pillars. The Jedi and Dark Jedi evaded and batted away the blasted bolts that reached them, sometimes batting them at their opponents.

Two against nineteen were never good odds. Especially since the silver armored troopers took positions behind pillars.

But the Force was with the Solo's. Though Ben was a little less skilled with a blaster than his mother, he fell under the 95th percentile in a blaster dojo test. Both mother and son made skilled extremely skilled shots, managing to drop off troopers one by one.

Ben, being at the right side of the hall, shot at troopers on his left, with Leia, on the left side, doing the same to troopers on her right. There were several close calls, but Force sensitive reflexes saved them. These _were_ better shots than most stormtroopers back in the days of the Galactic Civil War.

The lightsaber battles raged on behind them. For a second or two, Ben observed them. Jaden and Isaru were quite far up the hall, now in a more grounded fight. A grounded flurry that Jaden had the advantage in, as he pressed his opponent further and further away from the Solo's

The fight between Rosh and Ghonal was not going as well. Despite being one of Luke's top apprentices, he was a little less strong in the Force than Jaden. While Ghonal was also less powerful than Isaru, his strong stature, his double bladed lightsaber, and the strong Dark Side nexus of the Temple gave him an advantage over Rosh. Rosh was being driven back, though at a considerably slower pace than Jaden was driving back Isaru.

Ben turned back around to his shooters. Ben had three more to pick off, and Leia had two more. After about twenty more seconds, the two Solo's managed to clear the hallway of the guards.

A boomerang then cut the pistol in Leia's hands. Ten more guards, dressed in black light combat suits and armed with vibrio blades, appeared down the hall.

"Go help Rosh," Leia told Ben. "I've got this."

Ben wondered how Leia could take on all ten without a weapon. Leia however drew a concealed vibroblade of her own, and rushed towards the 10 shadowy warriors. The Last Princess of Alderaan went to work, becoming a blur of motion, the expression of Alderaanian and Republican martial techniques.

Ben looked over at Rosh. Rosh was driving an offensive, even scoring a minor hit on Ghonal's arm and another on his thigh. This enraged Ghonal. Twirling his red double blade, he launched a powerful offensive on Rosh. Rosh staggered under each blow.

As the 2 meter tall Duros drove Rosh back, Ben snuck around behind the Duros. After a few seconds, Ghonal managed to trip Rosh's left foot. Rosh regained his balance, but not before Ghonal disarmed him with a powerful overcut. Ghonal then blasted Rosh against a pillar. The pillar cracked slightly when Rosh hit it.

A murderous grin lit up on the Duros' green face. He stalked towards Rosh, intending to kil.

At that very moment, two shots ripped through Ghonal's uninjured limbs. Through his right arm and left thigh. The Duros fell to the ground, screaming in rage.

Triumph coursed through Ben. Triumph and fury for the pain he had inflicted on Rollan. Ben could have blasted Ghonal's head and called it a day, but that wasn't enough.

Two lightsabers flew into Ben's hands. Rosh's azure blade ignited in Ben's left hand, and one end of Ghonal's red blade in his right.

Ghonal had managed, through the pain and rage, to get up to a kneeling position. The perfect position of Ben to cross his lightsabers

"You have committed crimes against the innocents. Torturing and murdering them for your own gain. I hereby punish you," Ben declared as he used Rosh's blade to sever Ghonal's right arm. Ben relished in the Duros' scream in pain as he recrossed his blades.

"And sentence you," Ben finished as he uncrossed his blades, lopping off the Duros' head.

 _You were_ right _to fear me_ ," Ben thought as Ghonal's dead red eyes stared at him from the ground. _Dead red_ , Ben entertained. _They rhyme_.

Rosh rose to his feet. "Thanks for the save man," he complimented. Ben smiled and returned Rosh's saber to him. Rosh then looked at the severed head on the ground, but didn't comment on it.

At that moment, Leia came back, and in tow with her were a freed Allena and Rollan.

Ben and Allena rushed towards each other and kissed, with passion and relief. After this horrible experience, they needed some serious down time.

Ben then looked at Rollan. The greeting was less of relief, more of a _we'll talk later._

Ben hoped to the Creator that this wouldn't be the end of their friendship, but the guy _did_ get his hand chopped of - all because of Ben's strengths in the Force.

On the topic of Force sensitives, a bested Isaru, deprived of one of her lightsabers, was sprinting away from Jaden and towards Ben, his mother, and his friends.

The Twi'lek released that in her desperation she had gotten herself surrounded, as Jaden, Rosh, and Ben pointed lightsabers towards her, Leia pointed a vibroblade, and Allena assumed an blaster.

Desperation gave her strength. Drawing on her anger, desperation, and the Dark nexus, the red skinned Twi'lek unleashed a mighty Force wave. All her opposition was knocked to the ground.

By the time they got up, Isaru had disappeared.

Ben and Allena stared in disappointment at the end of the hallway. Ben then remembered Rollan and helped his one armed friend back up.

"Let's go find Luke," Leia said.

* * *

As the party reached the roof of the palace, a spectacular duel was drawing towards its conclusion. A defeated Alora lay on the ground, nursing her right arm. Or rather, stump of an arm. Three rancors and a terentatek lay dead. Poison coated the dead terentatek's body.

 _They_ are _real!_ Ben thought in amazement.

Lightsabers, one green and the other black, clashed against each other with a fury Ben didn't think possible. Should there have been an audience besides them, each lightsaber clash would have been heard for kilometers. Despite this, the two combatants, Jedi and the dark man, were far faster than sound. Ben couldn't even _see_ them, even with Force enhanced vision. He more just felt them. Luke's brilliant light, a white star without the glare, against the dark man's icy presence, a dark frost planet.

Luke's presence was brighter, stronger. The dark man unleashes acrobatic and unpredictable katas, but Luke had a staunch defense. As impenetrable as Coruscant's planetary shields. Luke then unleashed counterattacks. Strong as meteors, fast as cheetahs, and bold. The dark man defended, but was back peddling. Luke then extended his left hand and loosed a Force push. The dark man raised a Force shield, but was still hurled two dozen meters back, his lightsaber falling from his hand in the process.

The dark man pushed himself up. In one last ditch attempt, he loosed a stream of orange lightning towards the Jedi Master. Luke raised his hands though and caught both streams.

The lightning was exceedingly powerful. Sparks and strands that bounced away from Luke's grasp hit the floor with the force of firecrackers.

The two men looked at each other. Azure blue eyes against sulfurous yellow. Luke was stronger though, and after a quarter of a minute, he pushed the lightning back at the dark man.

The dark man deflected most of it, but that which did hit him was quite painful. He grunted in pain and took a knee.

Luke approached him, lightsaber pointed smartly at the dark man's throat. The dark man smirked, and blasted Luke back. Luke didn't go flying, but stumbled back several meters.

The dark man opened his palm, and his lightsaber flew into hit. Putting it at his hilt, he looked back one last time at Skywalker.

"You have immense power, Skywalker. You are the most powerful Jedi I have ever met." As if to show the dark man's sincerity and respect, the dark man blinked, and ocean blue eyes stood in place of the sulfurous yellow.

The dark man blinked again, and the red-rimmed, sulfurous yellow eyes returned. "But darkness is always there, and will always hound you. Till we meet again, Jedi." The dark man gave a mock salute and bounded off, scooping up his injured apprentice as he bounded out of site.

Luke stood firm, like a Jedi statue. His long, dark blonde hair hair waved in the arid breeze. His Jedi robes, a light tan tunic with oak brown over straps, and his brilliant green lightsaber marked him as a true Jedi Master.

Luke relaxed and put away his lightsaber. "Ben," he said as he ran over. He hugged Ben, "I am so glad you're safe."

Luke appraised Ben. "You've grown taller," Luke noted. Though Ben was only fourteen, he stood at a mere 4 centimeters shorter than Luke's 1.72 meters.

Rosh and Jaden stared after their master in awe.

"It never gets old seeing you in combat," said Jaden.

Luke's eyes twinkled as he turned to face them. "That is the power of the light side, my students. Flint's(*.3) strength in the Force is prodigious, and his control over it is great." Luke said, nodding over at the fallen beasts that hand fought for their masters.

"But the Force is a Jedi's ally, not servant. So in spite of his strength, the Force gave me the power I needed to beat him," finished Luke.

"It _would_ help if we were Force gods like you," Rosh commented good-naturedly.

"You are my two greatest students," Luke assured. "You will become very powerful Jedi. In fact, I think you're efforts here are worthy of the rank Jedi Knight.

Jaden beamed, but Rosh still had something to say. "I didn't manage to beat my opponent alone though," Rosh admitted. "Ben here was the one who killed my opponent."

 _So that was the surge of darkness I felt_ , Ljke contemplated, his face flashing with worry. Leia, who had also felt it, also flashed with worry.

The flashes were gone so quickly Ben almost felt like he imagined it. But the deep voice of Darth Vader sounded in his head.

 _You know better than that,_ he boomed. _They don't trust you. You are too powerful. Just as you exceeded that Duros slime, Luke fears one day you will surpass_ him!

Luke cocked his head in Ben's direction, but Ben assumed the dark nexus kept him from fully sensing the specter. A specter Ben had never told anyone about. The specter _was_ sometimes useful. Ben doubted he would be half the racer he was without it.

"This temple," Luke said, pointing to a statue Ben hadn't noticed before, "was m- Darth Vader's."

Ben wondered what Luke was going to say. Ben's instincts told him that it was a powerful thing, and he felt like Leia cut him off. Though why he didn't know.

This did also reveal why he felt a small connection to the place, despite it being a place of darkness.

"He built this temple here on Vjun, after slaughtering the planet's inhabitants," Luke continued. Ben shuddered, being reminded yet again of the genocidal tendencies of his guardian specter. "History claims that Vjun's inhabitants had supported the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the previous war," Luke stated.

The group took an elevator down the side of the black castle and walked towards Luke's ship. He called it the _Crucible_ , a name Ben always thought was odd. As odd as it was old, but the second best pilot in the galaxy could fly just about anything.

Ben fell to the back with Luke, intending to speak with him. "Why didn't you kill that dark man."

"The thing that keeps us apart from practitioners of the dark side is we do not kill the defensless."

"No Force practitioner is defenseless. You should have killed him," Ben whispered back harshly. "He tortured me and my friends, and I felt the echoes of other people he has tortured and killed. He should have been executed."

"Like you executed his apprentice," Luke challenged. "Ben, do you know why Jedi use lightsabers."

"Why?" Ben tested.

"A Jedi is a pillar of light, and the Force flows through us. A blaster would not keep up with the power within us, but we do not use weapons like whips so as to restrain ourselves. We are pillars of light, and use our power for knowledge and defense.

Dark side practitioners use lightsabers so as to _mock_ us. Their hate for Jedi drives them to corrupt our teachings and symbols, and turn them into weapons of mass destruction."

"What about this dark man and his acolytes. Was he Sith?" Ben asked

"Flint? No," Luke replied. "He used the dark side differently. He preferred to be in the penumbra rather than the umbra. You could see how he was able to switch his eye color easily."

Ben nodded. Though Luke hadn't trained him, he had told him many stories and facets of the Force throughout his childhood.

"He also took on three apprentices, whereas a Sith would only dare take on one. But I feel he, or his master, once stemmed from the Sith. He isn't like any of Palpatine's straggling acolytes that I faced in the early years after the Empire's defeat. He is the most powerful opponent I faced since Darth Vader.

"Wow," Ben commented.

"There is another reason I spared him," Luke admitted. "Flint, or whatever his real name is, is almost like a reverse of me. From what I gleaned of his comments and his Force signature during our duel, he started off with Jedi teachings, a long time ago. He is a grim reminder of the corruptive influence of the dark side," Luke said, his eyes looking far away.

"I still would have killed him," Ben whispered to himself. Luke looked at him, but didn't pursue the topic further.

"When am I going to be able to see Kira again," Ben asked his uncle. "I miss her."

Luke chuckled. "She misses you too," Luke replied, thinking of all those times those hazel eyes of hers brightened whenever Ben was around. "I'll visit with her soon," Luke promised.

* * *

Luke dropped Leia and Ben off at their home on Ganthel, the current Republican capital. After a discussion which Ben was _not_ privy to, Luke left with his students. Rollan and Allena went back to their parents home planet, Coruscant, so as to reassure them they were safe. Rollan would also get a mechno-arm attached him there.

Ben would soon also go back to Coruscant, as his school's field trip was over. Due to the timing of his abduction, Ben lost out on the finals of the Kuat racing gauntlet, which disappointed him.

The next day, Leia and Ben sat in the living room. Ben had slept a full 16 hours, and was now in a fresh set of clothes.

They watched the holonews. A Devarionian reporter was covering several interest. Then, Ben's own picture came on the screen.

" _We are also glad to report that Ben Solo, son of Senator Leia Organa and Captain Han Solo, was found and rescued by the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Evidence and statements from his uncle and mother suggest that he was kidnapped by bounty hunters. The Republican Senate has convened, and has levied a minor sanction against bounty hunters. Conspiracy theories abound_ -

 _Speaking of the Solo family, Captain Han Solo and Baron Lando Calrissian have successfully contained -_

"Bounty hunters," Ben whispered incredulously. "BOUNTY HUNTERS!" Ben roared.

The light dimmed and the holonews flickered in response to Ben's anger. Leia put a placating arm on Ben's shoulder.

"This is an era of peace Ben," Leia reasoned. "The people, and the Senate especially, do not want to hear about appearances of dark Siders so soon after Darth Vader."

"This man kidnapped me and my friends. Cut off my best friend's arm, tortured me, and they are going to write it off as mere Bounty Hunters. And these _conspiracy_ theories. You've told me how that Senate works. Your Populists are just going to blame Centrists, and nothing will be done. What will it take to get these people. The daughter of our Moof-Milker Chancellor getting killed? Will it be worthy to _consider_ then." Ben shouted, his voice growing louder as he stood up.

"Ben," Leia chided firmly.

"No, mother. Don't pretend, you know I'm right. The dim-witted Ithorian we call a Chancellor is useless. The "Republic" is only beneficial for fat cronies. And my _Force forcesaken father_ is the most _useless of the all!_ "

"Stop right there!" Leia shouted, standing up right next to Ben.

Blazing brown eyes warred against each other. "I was tortured mother! KRIFFING TORTURED IN YOUR SUPPOSED ERA OF PEACE, AND I AM JUST SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT IT! I am FOURTEEN, _five_ years younger than you were on the Death Stat. My BEST FRIEND lost his arm. And My KRIFFING father thought it beneath him to come rescue me.

"DON'T _speak_ THAT WAY ABOUT MY HUSBAND," Leia thundered. "AND he does CARE. Didn't you hear he was in the middle of a -"

"HEIST for credits," Ben asked. "Considering how many times he's gone away from us for MONTHS ON END, forgive me if I think he loves CREDITS more than he loves family!"

"Ben, he isn't FORCE SENSITIVE!" Leia argued. "HE _couldn't_ have done much -"

"DIDN'T STOP him from shooting at KRIFFING DARTH VADER on Cloud City.

"I thought he called you," Leia asked, in a calmer, diplomatic voice.

"I DIDN'T answer." Ben yelled. "I HATE HIM. I think it would HURT that _bastard_ MORE if he LOST the Falcon than if he _lost_ ME! You can have him if YOU want, but to ME, he is just a sperm donor. He is _not_ my father.

Leia was shaken. Shaken by how much rage her son felt. But hadn't she felt rage too? How many times had she gotten annoyed at Han. And about the darksiders. Leia would be lying if she didn't say her hate for Vader hadn't given her strength during the Galactic Civil War when nothing else did.

Darth Vader. Her _father_. Ben's _grandfather_.

But Ben didn't know that, and couldn't know that.

Leia heard a speeder revving up, and saw Ben riding his 74-Z speeder. He looked so much like Han, leaving after an argument.

Leia was grateful she lived in a mansion and not an apartment. Or her argument with Ben would have made news indeed.

* * *

 **Damn, that was a long chapter. Probably the longest chapter I will ever write. I just had so many good ideas for this chapter. Now, for the author's notes**

 **(*.1) Alora is the name of that little girl who was captured in Star Wars Rebels 2.09: Future of the Force**

 **(*.2) Darth Vader's chest will appear again. Why did Flint need Ben? My idea is that Vader prepared this chest for Luke. So Vader sealed this in such a way that only a descendant of his could pry it open with the Dark Side.**

 **(*.3) I left Flint's story pretty vague. However, props to anyone who can guess the character I used who becomes "Flint"**

 **Lastly, be sure to comment, especially if you have constructive criticism. This story can only get better if you do that. Also, I might incorporate ideas that you leave in the comment sections in future chapters or stories.**


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